Balancing rock

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Sierra de Organos National Park, Mexico SierradeOrganos.jpg
Sierra de Organos National Park, Mexico

A balancing rock, also called a balanced rock, precariously balanced rock (PBR), or precarious boulder, is a naturally occurring geological formation featuring a large rock or boulder, sometimes of substantial size, resting on other rocks, bedrock, or on glacial till. Some formations known by this name only appear to be balancing, but are in fact firmly connected to a base rock by a pedestal or stem.

Contents

No single scientific definition of the term exists, and it has been applied to a variety of rock features.

Categories

Types of feature that the term has been applied to include:

Glacial erratic
A boulder that was transported and deposited by glaciers or ice rafts to a resting place on soil, on bedrock, or on other boulders. It usually has a different lithology from the other rocks around it. Not all glacial erratics are balancing rocks; some are firmly seated on the ground. Some balancing erratics have come to be known as rocking stones, also known as logan rocks, logan stones, or logans, because they are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force may cause them to rock or sway. A good example of a rocking stone is the Logan Rock in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom; another is the Trembling Rock in Brittany, France. [1]
Perched block
Also known as a perched boulder or perched rock, this is a large, detached rock fragment that most commonly was transported and deposited by a glacier to a resting place on glacial till, often on the side of a hill or slope. Some perched blocks were not produced by glacial action, but were the aftermath of a rock fall, landslide, or avalanche. [2]
Erosional remnant
A persisting rock formation that remains after extensive wind, water, and/or chemical erosion. To the untrained eye, it may appear to be visually like a glacial erratic, but instead of being transported and deposited, it was carved from the local bedrock. Many good examples of erosional remnants are seen in Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Pedestal rock
Also known as a rock pedestal or mushroom rock, this is not a true balancing rock, but is a single continuous rock form with a very small base leading up to a much larger crown. Some of these formations are called balancing rocks because of their appearance. The undercut base was attributed for many years to simple wind abrasion, but is now believed to result from a combination of wind and enhanced chemical weathering at the base where moisture would be retained longest. Some pedestal rocks sitting on taller spire formations are known as hoodoos.

Notable balancing rocks

Africa

Mother and Child balancing rocks, Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe Balancing Rocks in Matopos National Park.jpg
Mother and Child balancing rocks, Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

The Balancing Rocks of Epworth on the Zimbabwe $100 trillion note Zimbabwe $100 trillion 2009 Obverse.jpg
The Balancing Rocks of Epworth on the Zimbabwe $100 trillion note
  • The balancing rocks of Zimbabwe are a series of geological formations found in Zimbabwe. The Balancing Rocks of Epworth are famous for being featured on the nation's banknotes, including those issued during periods of hyperinflation, such as the Zimbabwean 100 trillion dollar note, one of the highest denomination banknotes ever issued.
  • The Mother and Child balancing rocks are a well-known feature in Matobo National Park.

Asia and Australia

India

Krishna's Butterball in Mahabalipuram, India Tricky rock.jpg
Krishna's Butterball in Mahabalipuram, India

Australia

Vietnam

Myanmar

Europe

England

Finland

Kummakivi in Haukonsalo, Ruokolahti, Finland Kummakivi balancing rock in Ruokolahti, Finland.jpg
Kummakivi in Haukonsalo, Ruokolahti, Finland

Poland

Chybotek, Giant Mountains, Poland 1304 Chybotek Szklarska Poreba DJE 2.jpg
Chybotek, Giant Mountains, Poland

Spain

A mushroom rock, Ciudad Encantada. Ciudad E 1.jpg
A mushroom rock, Ciudad Encantada.

Norway

North America

Canada

The Balancing Column near Digby, Long Island, Nova Scotia Balancing Rock, NS.jpg
The Balancing Column near Digby, Long Island, Nova Scotia
A tall basalt stack appears to balance precariously above the water near Digby, Nova Scotia.
Located near Bear Beach on the Juan De Fuca Trail, this solid rock is perched upon eroded sandstone.

United States

Pinnacle Balanced Rock, Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona A089, Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona, USA, 2004.jpg
Pinnacle Balanced Rock, Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Several pedestal rocks are found within the boundaries of the Chiricahua National Monument, and two are easily accessible in Marble Canyon, between Navajo Bridge and Lee's Ferry. [10]
A large balancing rock may be easily seen at D.L. Bliss State Park on the west shore of Lake Tahoe.
A huge sandstone boulder hangs precariously near the roadway in Garden of the Gods park near Colorado Springs.
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado Balanced Rock.jpg
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Balanced Rock is located south of Buhl in Salmon Falls Creek Canyon; created some 15 million years ago and comprising rhyolite lava, it stands 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, weighs 30 tons (27.215 metric tons), and is perched on a 3 foot by 17 inch (0.395 m2) pedestal. [11]
A glacial erratic rests on the edge of a precipice on a mountain in Acadia National Park.
A balanced rock beside the Shore Path in downtown Bar Harbor.
In Balance Rock Park, in Pittsfield State Forest, a field of massive boulders left on a hillside by receding glaciers is crowned by Balance Rock, a tremendous rock balancing almost unbelievably upon a smaller rock protruding from the ground.
A site near Lake Billy Chinook is known as Balancing Rocks or as the Metolius Balancing Rocks. [12] [13]
Several sites around the state, including the Bisti Badlands, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, Chaco Canyon National Park, Red Rock State Park, and in private and BLM public lands throughout New Mexico .
Balanced Rock in North Salem, in Westchester County, New York. A glacial erratic that rests securely on five other rocks pointing upright, the Balanced Rock itself is a heavily weathered pink granite that is not local to the area, and is in fact found further north in the Hudson Highlands.
The Devil's Head is a large boulder perched on the ledge of a cliff in the Chimney Rock State Park, North Carolina.
Balanced Rock, Big Bend National Park, Texas A083, Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA, balanced rock, 2004.jpg
Balanced Rock, Big Bend National Park, Texas
Balanced Rock (also called Window Rock) is a large boulder suspended between two pedestals in the Grapevine Hills of Big Bend National Park.
One of the most visited formations in the United States is the Balanced Rock in Arches National Park.
A large glacial erratic is at the south end of Omak Lake in Okanogan County, known as the Omak Rock.
Located in Devil's Lake State Park. A big rock near the top of a trail with the same name with a view on the lake.
Sierra de Organos National Park in Mexico SierradeO 05.jpg
Sierra de Organos National Park in Mexico

Mexico

At Sierra de Organos National Park in the municipality of Sombrerete there are two balancing rocks near each other.

South America

Argentina

See also

References

  1. ↑ Emery, Andy (26 October 2023). "Glacial erratics". AntarcticGlaciers.org. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Haddad, David. "Nature's Balanced Seismometers" . Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "Krishna's butter ball – A Balancing Rock at Mahabalipuram". Mystery of India. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Balancing Rock". Trawell. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Balancing Rock near Madan Mahal, Jabalpur – Picture of Balancing Rocks, Jabalpur – TripAdvisor". www.tripadvisor.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mama-Bhagne Hills – Amazingly balancing rocks of Dubrajpur". Get Bengal. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  7. ↑ vi:Đá Ba Chồng
  8. ↑ vi:Hòn Chồng và Hòn Vợ
  9. ↑ "Karrta Paikka" (in Finnish). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 1 December 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Glen Canyon/Rainbow Bridge Park Guide 2013". National Park Service. 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "What to do at Balanced Rock Park". 16 December 2021.
  12. ↑ Gentzler, Corbin (20 August 2014). "Go Here: Balancing Rocks". Source Weekly. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Nature on an even keel at Oregon's Balancing Rock". 25 May 2023.
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